Circuit interrupter



Patented Aug. 25, 1953 CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER Bernhard Ulrich, Jr., and Philip Ulrich,

Corpus Christi, '1

Application July 14, 1952, Serial No. 298,874

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a circuit interrupter and particularly to an interrupter for periodically interrupting a circuit at predetermined intervals.

In certain applications it is desirable to have an intermittent application of potential to a load circuit and in other circuits it is desirable to reduce the total effective voltage of current applied to a load over a predetermined interval.

In special circumstances it is sometimes desirable to pick out one polarity of an alternating current circuit to apply unidirectional current to a load.

The present invention provides a device for periodically interrupting a circuit and for controlling the length and frequency with which the circuit is interrupted.

This is accomplished by means of a mercury switch consisting of a chamber having an insulating partition therein and an aperture in the partition and means for controlling the extent and periodicity of a current connection through the aperture.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved circuit interrupter.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an interrupter having substantially arcless interruptions.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an interrupter having a non-burning separable contact.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a circuit interrupter the extent. of the interruption of which can be controlled.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved mercury switch.

It is a further object of the. invention to provide a cam controlled rotary circuit interrupter.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved contactor for supplying current to a rotary switch.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a circuit interrupter according to the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional elevational view taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross section through the interrupter taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a cross section taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section taken on the plane indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 4; r

Figure 6 is a partial view substantially similar 2 to Figure 2 but showing the interrupter in closed position;

Figure 7 is a partial cross section taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 1-4 in Figure 6 and showing the internal arrangement of the interrupting chamber; and

Figure 8 is an exploded view of a cam member for controlling the interrupter.

In the embodiment according to the invention a housing i0 is mounted on a suitable base l2 and has an operating motor [4 rigidly secured therein by suitable means such as screws l6. An operating shaft I 8 extends substantially axially in the housing [0. A U-shaped frame member 20 has a yoke 22 which has an aperture 24 receiving the shaft l8 which is provided with a fiat surface 26 for receiving a set screw 28 for locking the yoke 22 on the shaft IS.

A transverse U-shaped member having legs 30 and 32 is mounted at the top end of the U- shaped frame 20 preferably integrally connected thereto.

The U-shaped body having the legs 30 and 32 is provided adjacent the ends of legs 32 with apertures 34 and 36 in which is mounted insulating bushings 38 and 40. A chamber 42 is substantially cylindrical in cross section and is provided with a closure 44 which encloses an insulating lining 46. The sides of the chamber 42 are provided with an insulating lining 48 which in turn is provided with an insulating partition 50 so that the chamber 42 is divided into two substantially equal parts. Mercury pools 52 and 54 are provided in the sub-chambers provided by the partition 50 and one of the sides 56 of the chamber 42 is in electrical contact with one of the pools such as the pool 54. A terminal member 58 is in contact with one side and the periphery of the pool 52 and has extending therefrom a stub shaft 60 which extends through the insulating liner 46 and the insulating bushing 38 to journal the chamber 42 in the leg 30 while a conducting screw 62 is screwed into contact with the wall 56 and extends through the bushmg 38 to provide a bearing for the chamber 42 in the leg 32. A counterweight 64 is mounted onthe opposite ends of thelegs 30 and 32 by means of a rivet or other suitable fastener 66. An electrical conductor 68 is connected to the stud shaft 60 while an electrical conductor 10 is connected to the housing 42.

A stud 14 chamber 42 and has a resilient element 16 conweight 64. A cam follower support member extends upwardly from the housing 42 and has mounted on the top thereof a cam follower 82. A cam guide 84 is mounted in the top of the housing I!) and has slidably mounted therein a cam shaft 86. A guide 84 is provided with a vertical slot 88 and the cam shaft 86 is provided with a pin 90 which extends outwardly through the vertical slot 88. An actuating disk 92 is provided with a sleeve 94 which surrounds the guide 84 and has a spiral slot 96 therein also receiving the end of the pin 90. The sleeve 94 being rotatable around the guide 84 for causing reciprocation cf the cam shaft 86.

A substantially cylindrical cam head 98 is provided on the end of the cam shaft 86 and an axial aperture I receives a pin I02 the lower end of which is provided with a cam I04. A cam element I06 and a cam element I08 are nonrotatably mounted on the pin I02 which extends into the aperture I00 to produce a cam element for cooperation with a cam follower .82. The resilient spring 16 pulls the chamber 42 so that it rotates about the axle produced by the ,stub

shaft 60 and the screw 62 so that the cam follower 82 is forcibly retained against the cam surface of the various cam elements.

The pools 52 and 54 are constitutedof electrical conducting liquid and preferably mercury which are maintained in separated positions by means of the partition 50. The axis defined by the stub shafts 60 and the screw 62 is ofiset laterally from the axis of rotation defined by the shaft I8 so that when the motor I4 is operative to rotate the chamber, the liquid material will be thrown to the outside to transfer the pools in each of the chambers to the lateral or side portions of the chambers. The partition 50 is pro vided with an aperture H0 in the inner upper quadrant thereof. Preferably the aperture H0 is substantially quadrant shaped and is so positioned that when the interrupter is at rest the pools 52 and 54 will be so related-to the aperture that the surface of the pool will be lower than the edge I I2 of the aperture and so related that when the chamber is being rotated the surface of the pools 52 and 54 will be substantially parallel and separated from the edge II4 when the edge'I I4 is substantially vertical. The conductors H8 and I20 supply current to the motor I4 and also to the brushes I22 and I24. The brushes I22 and I24 are mounted in opposite ends of an insulating block I26 by means of insulating bushings I28 and I30 which are secured in the block I26 by means of the pin I32 which is screwed into an aperture I34 in the casing of the motor I4. A connection from the brushes I22 and I24 to the terminals 60 and 56 is provided by means of an insulating disk I40 on which are mounted annular conductors I42 and I44. Brush I22 being in contact with the annular conductor I42 and the brush I24 being in contact with the annular conductor I44. The annular conductor I44 is provided with a pair of extensions I46 and I48 which extend through apertures in the disk I40 and are bent to fasten the annular member I44 against the under surface of the insulating disk I 40. The electrical conductor I'I0 extending from the casing 42 is electrically connected to the extension I46 so that'the annular conductor I44 is electrically connected to the housing 42 and the terminal 56. The conductor 68 is likewise conductively connected to the annular member I42 so that the brush I22 is electrically connected to the terminal 58 and to the conducting material in the pool 52.

In the operation of the circuit interrupter according to the invention the cam member I04 is preferably substantially cylindrical in formation and of such sizethat the cam follower 82 while operating thereon will maintain the edge H4 in substantially vertical relation so that the pools 52 and 54 will be electrically insulated from each other and the circuit therethrough will be interrupted. When it is desired to cause periodic impulses of current through the device the member 94 is rotated by means of the disk 82 so that the cam shaft 86 is protruded downwardly so that the cam follower 82 will ride on the surface of the cam member I06. This will cause the cam follower 82 to follow an eccentric path about the cam shaft 86. When the cam follower 82 is on the outside of the cam I06 as shown in Figure 6 the chamber 42 will. be so far rotated that the edge II4 of the aperture H0 will beso far inclined as to be immersed in the liquid of the two pools so that the two pools will be in contact and an electrical current will flow through the interrupter. When the cam follower 02 is on the lower part of cam I06 there will b short impulses of current with relatively large intervals of no current. At the topof cam I06 the on and off intervals are equal.

When the cam follower 82 is on the cam I00 the proportion of on and off periods will be changed so that at the bottom of the cam I08 the on period will exceed the ofi period until at the top of the cam I08 the on period will be continuous so that when the cam follower 82 is following the cylindrical member '98 there will be no off period.

When the device is at the top of cam I08 and isrotating at 3600 R. P. M. and 60 cycle current is applied thereto, by merely synchronizing the rotor with the alternations of the supply circuit the device will supply potential of a single polarity and completely eliminatethe potential of the other polarity so that the device becomes in effect a single pole rectifier.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides a circuit interrupter which will provide any particular desired proportion of a full wave .or may if desired selectively apply only onehalf wave of a full wave to produce a rectified current.

The present interrupter can thus be utilized for controlling the potential applied to any load from zero to full potential.

It will thus be seen that the device will supply current from a small minority of the full cycle to substantially half the full cycle and then substantially to the 'full cycle as may be desired. It is possible to utilize the half full wave time as a rectifier by synchronizing the rotor with the impulses supplied thereto.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention a preferred embodiment has been disclosed and described according to the best present understanding thereof. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

pools, an aperture in the upper inner portion of said partition, the bottom of said aperture being above the at rest level of said pools, the side of said aperture being above the level of said pools when said frame is rotating and said side is substantially vertical, means for cyclically oscillating said chamber about its axis in unison with the rotation of said frame about its axis.

2. A periodic circuit interrupter comprising a casing, a frame mounted in said casing for rotation about a vertical axis in said casing, power means operatively connected in driving relation to said frame, a cylindrical chamber mounted on said frame, the axis of said chamber being transverse to the axis of said frame, said chamber being disposed laterally of the axis of said frame, two pools of conducting liquid in said chamber, an insulating partition between said pools, an aperture in the upper inner portion of said partition, the bottom of said aperture being above the at rest level of said pools, the side of said aperture being above the level of said pools when said frame is rotating and said side is substantially vertical, means for cyclically oscillating said chamber about its axis in unison with the rotation of said frame about its axis, a pair of slip rings mounted on said frame, conductors extending between the respective slip rings and the opposed pools, brush means connecting an electric circuit to said slip rings.

3. A periodic circuit interrupter comprising a casing, a frame mounted in said casing for rotation about a vertical axis in said casing, power means operatively connected in driving relation to said frame, a cylindrical chamber mounted on said frame, the axis of said chamber being transverse to the axis of said frame, saidchamber being disposed laterally of the axis of said frame, two pools of conducting liquid in said chamber, an insulating partition between said pools, an aperture in the upper inner portion of said partition,

the bottom of said aperture being above the at rest level of said pools, the side of said aperture being above the level of said pools when said frame is rotating and said side is substantially vertical, a cam member mounted substantially axially of said casing, a cam follower mounted on said housing, resilient means yieldingly urging said cam follower against said cam member.

4. A periodic circuit interrupter comprising a casing, a frame mounted in said casing for rotation about a vertical axis in said casing, power means operatively connected in driving relation to said frame, a cylindrical chamber mounted on said frame, the axis of said chamber being transverse to the axis of said frame, said chamber being disposed laterally of the axis of said frame, two pools of conducting liquid in said chamber, an insulating partition between said pools, an aperture in the upper inner portion of said partition, the bottom of said aperture being above the at rest level of said pools, the side of said aperture being above the level of said pools when said frame is rotating and said side is substantially vertical, a cam member mounted substantially axially of said casing, a cam follower mounted on said housing, resilient means yieldingly urging said cam follower against said cam member, a plurality of cam surfaces on said cam member, means for selectively positioning said cam surfaces in contact with said cam follower.

5. A periodic circuit interrupter comprising a casing, a frame mounted in said casing for rotation about a vertical axis in said casing, power means operatively connected in driving relation a verse to the axis of said at rest level of said 6 to said frame, a cylindrical chamber mounted on said frame, the axis of said chamber being transverse to the axis of said frame, said chamber being disposed laterally of the axis of said frame, two pools of conducting liquid in said chamber, an insulating partition between said pools, an aperture in the upper inner portion of said partition, the bottom of said aperture being above the at rest level of said pools, the side of said aperture being above the level of said pools when said frame is rotating and said side is substantially vertical, a cam member mounted substantially axially of said casing, a cam follower mounted on said housing, resilient means yieldingly urging said cam follower against said cam member, a counterweight mounted on said frame.

6. A periodic circuit interrupter comprising a casing, a frame mounted in said casing for rotation about a vertical axis in said casing, power means operatively connected in driving relation to said frame, a cylindrical chamber mounted on said frame, the axis of said chamber being transframe, said chamber being disposed laterally 'of the axis of said frame, two pools of conducting liquid in said chamber, an insulating partition between said pools, an aperture in the upper inner portion of said partition, the bottom of said aperture being above the pools, the side of said aperture being above the level of said pools when said frame is rotating and said side is substantially vertical, a cam member mounted substantially axially of said casing, a cam follower mounted on said housing, resilient means yieldingly urging said cam follower against said cam member, an insulating disk mounted on said frame transverse to the axis of rotation thereof, annular conducting members on the opposed faces of said disk, conductors extending between the respective conducting members and the respective pools, brush means connecting an elec-- tric circuit to said conducting members.

7. A circuit interrupter comprising a regular chamber, an insulating partition in said chamber, mercury pools in each side of said partition, electrical connections to each of said pools, said partition having an aperture therein, said aperture being spaced from said pools when said chamber is at rest, means for rotating said chamher about a vertical axis eccentric to ber, and means for varying the inclination of said chamber with respect to said vertical axis to determine the relation of said aperture to said pools.

8. A centrifugal circuit interrupter comprising a frame, an insulating chamber mounted on said frame, means for rotating said frame about an axis eccentric to said chamber, an insulating partition in said chamber and arranged radially to said axis, mercury pools in said chamber and separated by said partition, electrical circuit connections to said pools, said partition having an aperture therein, a cam device operative to vary the angular relation of said chamber to said axis whereby the relation of said aperture to said pools is varied.

Name Date Gillen July 11, 1933 Wilcox Apr. 26, 1938 Number said cham-- 

